Anderson Impurity Model Research Articles

Natural orbital-based Lanczos method for Anderson impurity models

We implement the Lanczos algorithm on natural orbital basis to solve the zero-temperature Green’s function of Anderson impurity models, following the work of Lu et al. (2014). We present the technical details, generalize the algorithm to the cases of particle–hole asymmetry, with local magnetic field, and of two impurities. The results are benchmarked with conventional Lanczos, quantum Monte Carlo, and numerical renormalization group methods, demonstrating its potential as a powerful impurity solver for the dynamical mean-field theory.

On the exact continuous mapping of fermions

We derive a rigorous, quantum mechanical map of fermionic creation and annihilation operators to continuous Cartesian variables that exactly reproduces the matrix structure of the many-fermion problem. We show how our scheme can be used to map a general many-fermion Hamiltonian and then consider two specific models that encode the fundamental physics of many fermionic systems, the Anderson impurity and Hubbard models. We use these models to demonstrate how efficient mappings of these Hamiltonians can be constructed using a judicious choice of index ordering of the fermions. This development provides an alternative exact route to calculate the static and dynamical properties of fermionic systems and sets the stage to exploit the quantum-classical and semiclassical hierarchies to systematically derive methods offering a range of accuracies, thus enabling the study of problems where the fermionic degrees of freedom are coupled to complex anharmonic nuclear motion and spins which lie beyond the reach of most currently available methods.

Two-stage three-channel Kondo physics for an FePc molecule on the Au(1 1 1) surface

We study an impurity Anderson model to describe an iron phthalocyanine (FePc) molecule on Au(1 1 1), motivated by previous results of scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and theoretical studies. The model hybridizes a spin doublet consisting in one hole at the orbital of iron and two degenerate doublets corresponding to one hole either in the 3dxz or in the 3dyz orbital (called π orbitals) with two degenerate Hund-rule triplets with one hole in the 3dz orbital and another one in a π orbital. We solve the model using a slave-boson mean-field approximation (SBMFA). For reasonable parameters we can describe very well the observed STS spectrum between sample bias −60 mV to 20 mV. For these parameters the Kondo effect takes place in two stages, with different energy scales corresponding to the Kondo temperatures related with the hopping of the z2 and π orbitals respectively. There is a strong interference between the different channels and the Kondo temperatures, particularly the lowest one is strongly reduced compared with the value in the absence of the competing channel.

Kondo effect in a PT -symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonian

The combination of non-Hermitian physics and strong correlations can give rise to new effects in open quantum many-body systems with balanced gain and loss. We propose a generalized Anderson impurity model that includes non-Hermitian hopping terms between an embedded quantum dot and two wires. These non-Hermitian hopping terms respect a parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetry. In the regime of a singly occupied localized state, we map the problem to a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric Kondo model and study the effects of the interactions using a perturbative renormalization group approach. We find that the Kondo effect persists if the couplings are below a critical value that corresponds to an exceptional point of the non-Hermitian Kondo interaction. On the other hand, in the regime of spontaneously broken $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry, the Kondo effect is suppressed and the low-energy properties are governed by a local-moment fixed point with vanishing conductance.

Ab initio investigation of impurity-induced in-gap states in Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3

We investigate in-gap states emerging when a single $3d$ transition metal impurity is embedded in topological insulators (Bi$_2$Te$_3$ and Bi$_2$Se$_3$). We use a combined approach relying on first-principles calculations and an Anderson impurity model. By computing the local density of states of Cr, Mn, Fe and Co embedded not only in surfaces of Bi$_2$Te$_3$ and of Bi$_2$Se$_3$ but also in their bulk phases, we demonstrate that in-gap states originate from the hybridization of the electronic states of the impurity with bulk bands and not with the topological surface states as it is usually assumed. This finding is analyzed using a simplified Anderson impurity model. These observations are in contradiction with the prevailing models used to investigate the magnetic doping of topological insulators [R. R. Biswas et al. PRB 81, 233405 (2010), A. M. Black-Schafer et al. PRB 91, 201411 (2015)], which attribute the origin of the in-gap states to the hybridization with the topological surface states.

Divergences of the irreducible vertex functions in correlated metallic systems: Insights from the Anderson impurity model

In this work, we analyze in detail the occurrence of divergences in the irreducible vertex functions for one of the fundamental models of many-body physics: the Anderson impurity model (AIM). These divergences, a surprising hallmark of the breakdown of many-electron perturbation theory, have been recently observed in several contexts, including the dynamical mean-field solution of the Hubbard model. The numerical calculations for the AIM presented in this work, as well as their comparison with the corresponding results for the Hubbard model, allow us to clarify several open questions about the properties of vertex divergences in a particularly interesting context, the correlated metallic regime at low temperatures. Specifically, our analysis (i) rules out explicitly the transition to a Mott-insulating phase, but not the more general suppression of charge fluctuations (proposed in [O. Gunnarsson et al., Phys. Rev. B 93, 245102 (2016)]), as a necessary condition for the occurrence of vertex divergences, (ii) clarifies their relation with the underlying Kondo physics, and, eventually, (iii) individuates which divergences might also appear on the real-frequency axis in the limit of zero temperature, through the discovered scaling properties of the singular eigenvectors.

Efficient Bethe-Salpeter equation treatment in dynamical mean-field theory

We present here two alternative schemes designed to correct the high-frequency truncation errors in the numerical treatment of the Bethe-Salpeter equations. The schemes are applicable to all Bethe-Salpeter calculations with a local two-particle irreducible local, which is relevant, e.g., for the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) and its diagrammatic extensions. In particular, within a purely diagrammatic framework, we could extend existing algorithms for treating the static case in the particle-hole sector to more general procedures applicable to all bosonic frequencies and all channels. After illustrating the derivation and the theoretical interrelation of the two proposed schemes, these have been applied to the Bethe-Salpeter equations for the auxiliary Anderson impurity models of selected DMFT calculations, where results can be compared against a numerically "exact" solution. The successful performance of the proposed schemes suggests that their implementation can significantly improve the accuracy of dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) calculations at the two-particle level, in particular for more realistic multi-orbital calculations where the large number of degrees of freedom substantially restricts the actual frequency range for numerical calculations, as well as -on a broader perspective- of the diagrammatic extensions of DMFT.

Site-occupation embedding theory using Bethe ansatz local density approximations

Site-occupation embedding theory (SOET) is an alternative formulation of density-functional theory (DFT) for model Hamiltonians where the fully-interacting Hubbard problem is mapped, in principle exactly, onto an impurity-interacting (rather than a non-interacting) one. It provides a rigorous framework for combining wavefunction (or Green function) based methods with DFT. In this work, exact expressions for the per-site energy and double occupation of the uniform Hubbard model are derived in the context of SOET. As readily seen from these derivations, the so-called bath contribution to the per-site correlation energy is, in addition to the latter, the key density functional quantity to model in SOET. Various approximations based on Bethe ansatz and perturbative solutions to the Hubbard and single impurity Anderson models are constructed and tested on a one-dimensional ring. The self-consistent calculation of the embedded impurity wavefunction has been performed with the density matrix renormalization group method. It has been shown that promising results are obtained in specific regimes of correlation and density. Possible further developments have been proposed in order to provide reliable embedding functionals and potentials.

Theoretical Modelling of High-Resolution X-Ray Absorption Spectra at Uranium M4 Edge

ABSTRACTWe investigate the origin of satellite features that appear in the high-resolution x-ray absorption spectra measured at the uranium M4 edge in compounds where the uranium atoms are in the U6+ oxidation state. We employ a material-specific Anderson impurity model derived from the electronic structure obtained by the density-functional theory.

S-type single alkali-adatom on graphene

We present a theoretical study of the localized aspects of the alkali-metal atoms (Li, Na, K) interacting with graphene. We use an ab-initio calculation of the Hamiltonian parameters where the chemical properties of the interacting atoms (alkali and C), and the extended features of the electronic band structure of the solid are considered. Adatoms with a s-type valence orbital where the electron repulsion (U) in the atom assumes a finite value are considered. Three possible configuration states are analyzed: zero, one (spin up or down), and two electrons in the valence state. We describe the surface-atom interaction by projecting the Anderson Hamiltonian on the subspace of these atomic configurations, and introduced the Green's functions required to calculate the magnitudes of interest. Physical quantities of interest such as hybridization function, the adatom spectral density and transferred charge are obtained. We find that the interaction of alkali-metal atoms with graphene involves several atoms of the solid due to the extension of the s-type alkali atomic state and C atomic states. Charge is mostly transferred from the adatom towards the graphene sheet.

Two-color Fermi-liquid theory for transport through a multilevel Kondo impurity

We consider a quantum dot with ${\cal K}{\geq} 2$ orbital levels occupied by two electrons connected to two electric terminals. The generic model is given by a multi-level Anderson Hamiltonian. The weak-coupling theory at the particle-hole symmetric point is governed by a two-channel $S{=}1$ Kondo model characterized by intrinsic channels asymmetry. Based on a conformal field theory approach we derived an effective Hamiltonian at a strong-coupling fixed point. The Hamiltonian capturing the low-energy physics of a two-stage Kondo screening represents the quantum impurity by a two-color local Fermi-liquid. Using non-equilibrium (Keldysh) perturbation theory around the strong-coupling fixed point we analyze the transport properties of the model at finite temperature, Zeeman magnetic field and source-drain voltage applied across the quantum dot. We compute the Fermi-liquid transport constants and discuss different universality classes associated with emergent symmetries.

Projective truncation approximation for equations of motion of two-time Green's functions

In the equation of motion approach to the two-time Green's functions, conventional Tyablikov-type truncation of the chain of equations is rather arbitrary and apt to violate the analytical structure of Green's functions. Here, we propose a practical way to truncate the equations of motion using operator projection. The partial projection approximation is introduced to evaluate the Liouville matrix. It guarantees the causality of Green's functions, fulfills the time translation invariance and the particle-hole symmetry, and is easy to implement in a computer. To benchmark this method, we study the Anderson impurity model using the operator basis at the level of Lacroix approximation. Improvement over conventional Lacroix approximation is observed. The distribution of Kondo screening in the energy space is studied using this method.

Magnetic properties of Co-doped Nb clusters

From magnetic deflection experiments on isolated Co doped Nb clusters we made the interesting observation of some clusters being magnetic, while others appear to be non-magnetic. There are in principle two explanations for this behavior. Either the local moment at the Co site is completely quenched or it is screened by the delocalized electrons of the cluster, i.e. the Kondo effect. In order to reveal the physical origin, we conducted a combined theoretical and experimental investigation. First, we established the ground state geometry of the clusters by comparing the experimental vibrational spectra with those obtained from a density functional theory study. Then, we performed an analyses based on the Anderson impurity model. It appears that the non-magnetic clusters are due to a complete quenching of the local Co moment and not due to the Kondo effect. In addition, the magnetic behavior of the clusters can be understood from an inspection of their electronic structure. Here magnetism is favored when the effective hybridization around the chemical potential is small, while the absence of magnetism is signalled by a large effective hybridization around the chemical potential.

Green's function approach to the Kondo effect in nanosized quantum corrals

We present a theoretical study of the Kondo effect for a magnetic atom placed inside nanocorrals using Green's function calculations. Based on the standard mapping of the Anderson impurity model to a one-dimensional chain model, we formulate a weak-coupling theory to study the Anderson impurities in a hosting bath with a surface state. With further taking into account the multiple scattering effect of the surrounding atoms, our calculations show that the Kondo resonance width of the atom placed at the center of the nanocorral can be significantly tuned by the corral size, in good agreement with recent experiments [Q. L. Li et al., Phys. Rev. B 97, 035417 (2018)]. The method can also be applied to the atom placed at an arbitrary position inside the corral where our calculation shows that the Kondo resonance width also oscillates as the function of its separation from the corral center. The prediction is further confirmed by the low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy studies where a one-to-one correspondence is found. The good agreement with the experiments validates the generality of the method to the system where multiadatoms are involved.

Theoretical study of the dependence of single impurity Anderson model on various parameters within distributional exact diagonalization method

Single impurity Anderson model describes a system consisting of non-interacting conduction electrons coupled with a localized orbital having strongly interacting electrons at a particular site. This model has been proven successful to explain the phenomenon of metal-insulator transition through Anderson localization. Despite the well-understood behaviors of the model, little has been explored theoretically on how the model properties gradually evolve as functions of hybridization parameter, interaction energy, impurity concentration, and temperature. Here, we propose to do a theoretical study on those aspects of a single impurity Anderson model using the distributional exact diagonalization method. We solve the model Hamiltonian by randomly generating sampling distribution of some conducting electron energy levels with various number of occupying electrons. The resulting eigenvalues and eigenstates are then used to define the local single-particle Green function for each sampled electron energy distribution using Lehmann representation. Later, we extract the corresponding self-energy of each distribution, then average over all the distributions and construct the local Green function of the system to calculate the density of states. We repeat this procedure for various values of those controllable parameters, and discuss our results in connection with the criteria of the occurrence of metal-insulator transition in this system.

A multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree study of the nonequilibrium Anderson impurity model at zero temperature

Quantum transport is studied for the nonequilibrium Anderson impurity model at zero temperature employing the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree theory within the second quantization representation (ML-MCTDH-SQR) of Fock space. To address both linear and nonlinear conductance in the Kondo regime, two new techniques of the ML-MCTDH-SQR simulation methodology are introduced: (i) the use of correlated initial states, which is achieved by imaginary time propagation of the overall Hamiltonian at zero voltage and (ii) the adoption of the logarithmic discretization of the electronic continuum. Employing the improved methodology, the signature of the Kondo effect is analyzed.

Leading temperature dependence of the conductance in Kondo-correlated quantum dots

Using renormalized perturbation theory in the Coulomb repulsion, we derive an analytical expression for the leading term in the temperature dependence of the conductance through a quantum dot described by the impurity Anderson model, in terms of the renormalized parameters of the model. Taking these parameters from the literature, we compare the results with published ones calculated using the numerical renormalization group obtaining a very good agreement. The approach is superior to alternative perturbative treatments. We compare in particular to the results of a simple interpolative perturbation approach.

Numerically exact full counting statistics of the nonequilibrium Anderson impurity model

The time-dependent full counting statistics of charge transport through an interacting quantum junction is evaluated from its generating function, controllably computed with the inchworm Monte Carlo method. Exact noninteracting results are reproduced; then, we continue to explore the effect of electron-electron interactions on the time-dependent charge cumulants, first-passage time distributions, and $n$-electron transfer distributions. We observe a crossover in the noise from Coulomb blockade to Kondo-dominated physics as the temperature is decreased. In addition, we uncover long-tailed spin distributions in the Kondo regime and analyze queuing behavior caused by correlations between single-electron transfer events.

Cobalt adatoms on graphene: Effects of anisotropies on the correlated electronic structure

Impurities on surfaces experience a geometric symmetry breaking induced not only by the on-site crystal-field splitting and the orbital-dependent hybridization, but also by different screening of the Coulomb interaction in different directions. We present a many-body study of the Anderson impurity model representing a Co adatom on graphene, taking into account all anisotropies of the effective Coulomb interaction, which we obtained by the constrained random-phase approximation. The most pronounced differences are naturally displayed by the many-body self-energy projected onto the single-particle states. For the solution of the Anderson impurity model and analytical continuation of the Matsubara data, we employed new implementations of the continuous-time hybridization expansion quantum Monte Carlo and the stochastic optimization method, and we verified the results in parallel with the exact diagonalization method.

Many-Body Spectral Functions from Steady State Density Functional Theory.

We propose a scheme to extract the many-body spectral function of an interacting many-electron system from an equilibrium density functional theory (DFT) calculation. To this end we devise an ideal scanning tunneling microscope (STM) setup and employ the recently proposed steady-state DFT formalism (i-DFT) which allows one to calculate the steady current through a nanoscopic region coupled to two biased electrodes. In our setup, one of the electrodes serves as a probe ("STM tip"), which is weakly coupled to the system we want to measure. In the ideal STM limit of vanishing coupling to the tip, the system is restored to quasi-equilibrium and the normalized differential conductance yields the exact equilibrium many-body spectral function. Calculating this quantity from i-DFT, we derive an exact relation expressing the interacting spectral function in terms of the Kohn-Sham one. As illustrative examples, we apply our scheme to calculate the spectral functions of two nontrivial model systems, namely the single Anderson impurity model and the Constant Interaction Model.